Arts & Entertainment

Handmade on Hamilton Kicks off Saturday

New Hyattsville festival celebrates handmade crafts, music and dance with international flair

It's been a long time since area residents had an opportunity to party along Hamilton Street in West Hyattsville, but that's all about to change this weekend with Handmade on Hamilton.

Dubbed an "international celebration of craft, music and food", the festival is the resurrected version of the old International Street Festival which graced Hamilton Street for 15 years until  administrative issues put the fete on hiatus after 2010. 

Since then, the festival has been restructured with an arts and crafts focus. The centerpiece of the reborn festival is now handmade crafts from around the world.

Find out what's happening in Hyattsvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The goal is to create a unique festival which reflects the city's arts-oriented development focus while also paying tribute to the city's diverse immigrant population, according to Abby Sandel, acting director of the Hyattsville Community Services Department. 

"There has always been agreement that having a big, interesting festival on Hamilton Street matters," said Sandel in an interview. "The businesses along that corridor really missed the festival the year we didn't have it."

Find out what's happening in Hyattsvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Coming out of last year's hiatus, city officials have poured money–to the tune of $40,000–into the festival to try and make a good first impression.

"It is, by design, one of the two biggest events in the city, the other being the anniversary parade and carnival," said Sandel. "One opens our season, one closes our season."

That money has been put to use to lure more established performing artists, like the critically acclaimed local latin-reggae rock ensemble Nayas. 

"We've really been able to invest in the performances and been able to bring in bigger acts," said Sandel. "A lot of the international festival groups were student groups. This is a more sophisticated level of entertainment."

Also gracing the stage are the funky Baltimore-based festival veterans Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Washington-based rhythm  and blues ensemble Roaddog, and Unity, a Baltimore-based reggae band.

There will also be three performance ensembles  at the festival; Glade Dance Collective, vaudevillian circus troupe Cirque Oya, and all-woman Brazilian percussion ensemble Batala.

Most interestingly (especially with Question 6 on the ballot), the Glade Dance Collective will be performing a piece entitled Caged Songbird, which "examines some of the challenges facing undocumented immigrants and the efforts of second- and third-generation immigrants to find their way and let their voice be heard", according to its website. 

Handmade on Hamilton runs from noon to 7 p.m. on Hamilton Street between Queens Chapel and Ager roads in West Hyattsville. 

The festival is extremely Metro accessible, located directly across the street from the West Hyattsville Metro Station.

There is also parking available for motorists at the West Hyattsville Metro Station park and ride lots (free to park on the weekends) and at Rosa Parks Elementary School in the 6000 block of Ager Road. A shuttle will run passengers between the festival and the school and metro parking lots.

Cyclists looking to pedal to the festival can take advantage of a number of new, bright-yellow bicycle racks recently installed on Hamilton Street.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Hyattsville